Vignana Jyothi

(Vig-naan-ah J-yo-thee) is one of the largest educational societies in South India. The educational society had 6 institutes under it. The society wanted to rebrand for the first time since 1995 as they felt that their existing identity did not successfully represent their goals as a brand.

Client: Vignana Jyothi Educational Society
Scope: Re-Branding
Year: 2019

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

Vignana Jyothi is a large, philanthropic organization in Telangana, India established in 1995. Over the years the Society has built a strong reputation for quality education in Southern India. The Society today has grown to have 5 institutes under it, with plans for an upcoming 6th one. The Society today uses the same identity for all its institutes. They also felt that the brand identity created at the beginning did not effectively communicate the values that have evolved over the years, and did not give the global, professional feel that they were looking for. The logo looked outdated and overly traditional and the organization wanted something that depicted a strong balance between their traditional values and evolving global outlook.

After my research into the region, the institute and the Warangal Gate, I realized that the monument was very iconic to the area. The institue was such a huge part of the culture of the region, so much so that archways representing the Warangal Gate were built at multiple points in the surrounding area, taking inspiration from the institute. The imagery had become a crucial part of the identity of the institute and the surrounding regions.

Hence, I thought it was best to retain that strong element of recal and identity in the new logo. I began to look at different ways in which the monument could be incorporated, with a more simplified and modern touch.

The Society had 6 institutes under it:

1. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology (VJIET)

2. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management (VJIM)

3. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Architecture and Planning (VJIAP)

4. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Rural Development (VJIRD)

5. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Polytechnic (VJP)

6. Vignana Jyothi Institue of Arts & Sciences (VJIAS)

All the institutes exist on the same campus, and 'Vignana Jyothi' as a Society was the main brand to be highlighted, it was decided with the Society that instead of having 6 distinct identities, an extension of the new 'VJ' identity be used for the independent institutes. The institutes could further be differentiated by colour, with each institute being represented through a colour in all areas of its branding, signages, etc. This is depicted below.

WARANGAL GATE

SIMPLIFICATION OF MONUMENT

The final brand identity retained the iconic Warangal Gate, but in a simplified manner, built together with simple shapes in order to retain the intricate design of the monument, without actually making the design too detailed. It also incorporates an abstract representation of a book and a lamp, while creating a bounding structure for the text. The circular element encompassing the entire logo symbolizes emerging greatness / enlightenment, and helps bring the entire identity together as one unit. The slogan was also retained. The chosen yellow represents youth, growth and innovation while the blue was used to depict education, wisdom and professionalism. The colours are bright and fresh, while giving a sophisticated and mature feel.

I began by trying to understand the existing identity by speaking to the team at VJ. The existing brand identity consisted of the following elements:

1. The colour red was chosen to depict indian culture and tradition

2. The monument used is the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam aka. the Warangal Gate.

3. The slogan 'Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya', which translates to ‘From the darkness, lead me to light’

4. Representation of a lamp to denote the message of the slogan

I immediately noticed some issues with the identity which were also cross verified with students and faculty at the institute:

1. The details of the monument are way too many and way too intricate to be noticed at all sizes of reduction.

2. Does not give a global feel that the institute intends on depicting.

3. The lamp is often mistaken as a person